


not all truth or falsehood

by hideyseek



Series: what happens when im home alone [1]
Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: (hah - this fic wishes it were allowed enough words to be Real Epistolary), AEDWQ Week 1, Accidental Marriage, Actor Eames (Inception), Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Theatre, Emails, Epistolary, M/M, Rehearsal Reports, Stage Manager Arthur, Take Your Fandom to Work Day, Texting, as i was saying in the slack, i adore this fandom, i sNorted when that came up as an actual tag omg, kind of, strictly speaking more like:, when i panic i panic in the direction im most familiar with
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-02-23 13:54:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23712553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hideyseek/pseuds/hideyseek
Summary: performative utterance, n.a sentence which not only describes a given reality, but also changes the social reality it describes. //Hello Mr. Eames,Arthur writes.I wanted to apologize for putting us in a situation of inadvertent marriage during tonight’s rehearsal...
Relationships: Arthur/Eames (Inception)
Series: what happens when im home alone [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1707835
Comments: 19
Kudos: 37





	not all truth or falsehood

**Author's Note:**

> written as part of the first week of the AEDWQ (Arthur/Eames Drabble Writing Quarantine) run by the fantastic teacuphuman02!  
> prompt: Accidental Marriage  
> genre: Royal!AU  
> word count: <= 500
> 
> thanks to musingsofaretiredunicorn for brainstorming help and to E for the beta! 
> 
> title adapted from "How to Do Things With Words" a foundational performance studies paper that turned out to be a Lot less about writing than i hoped it would be when i was first read it for class.  
>   
>  _"To say a few certain words is to marry, or, to marry is, in some cases, simply to say a few words._ \- John Lanshaw Austin, “How to Do Things With Words”

Arthur hates stage management only when he’s standing in for actors. Usually, because it’s embarrassing. Tonight, because it’s Eames he’s feeding lines to.

Eames, who waits and walks him to the stage door after rehearsal. Who calls him darling like he means it. Who Arthur plans on asking to dinner the night after this show closes. 

Eames, who hasn’t once met Arthur’s gaze tonight.

“I-I do,” Arthur stammers, Prince Phillip’s lines unwieldy and too-familiar. 

His blocking notes read _Rob reach Eam_ , so Arthur shuffles his script into one arm and sets his left hand into Eames’ waiting palm. It's broad, and trembling. Arthur tightens his grip instinctively.

The priest speaks. Eames’ jaw is clenched so tightly he’s gone white, and his voice rasps when he says, “I do.” Arthur’s never seen him this uncomfortable onstage before.

At the end of the night, Eames evacuates the rehearsal room before Arthur can catch him.

—

> To: _inceptionprod@gmail.com_  
>  Subject: Rehearsal Report - Wednesday, March 13th 
> 
> [...]
> 
> GENERAL: Robert is still out sick. Arthur stood in as Phillip during tonight’s rehearsal of Scene 3. 
> 
> [...]

—

Arthur turns his notifications off en route home, a habit born from avoiding Mal’s flurry of post-rehearsal texts.

He passes a familiar poster that reads, Inception: _An inspired imagining of the life and marriage of the first gay English monarch, starring Charles Eames as King Richard._

Arthur smiles when he sees the man’s headshot, rueful but reflexive, a habit born from occupying a life with Eames in it.

—

> **From: Dramaturg Ariadne**
> 
> **(11:03pm)** i saw tonight’s report: how’s being MARRIED to ur work crush???  
>  **(11:04pm)** ik there’re perks to avoiding actor paperwork bUT  
>  **(11:04pm)** theory of performative utterances + laws of illinois = yOURE HITCHED !!  
>  **(11:05pm)** god bless john lanshaw austin  
>  **(11:09pm)** omg wait til eames hears about this

— 

Arthur locks his door, looks at his phone, and loses his mind. 

They’re only three weeks into the four-month rehearsal process of Mallorie Miles’ new play, and Arthur doesn’t know how he’ll make it through tomorrow night. 

— 

> To: _charles_eames@gmail.com_  
>  Subject: An Apology
> 
> Hello Mr. Eames, 
> 
> I wanted to apologize for putting us in a situation of inadvertent marriage during tonight’s rehearsal [...]

—

Arthur paces for hours after he hits send, nursing the concern that Eames won’t check his email until morning.

He’s caught on the imperfect phrasing of _You seemed uncharacteristically wooden tonight_ , on the mortified honesty of, _I apologize if my subconscious indication of attraction made you uncomfortable._

He’s caught, on the new impossibility of dinner the night after this show closes.

Eames must have been horrified, Arthur thinks miserably. Why else would he have fled the rehearsal room so quickly? 

—

> **From: Eames**
> 
> **(1:12am)** i read ur email. let's not be too hasty about that annulment  
>  **(1:13am)** i was “wooden” because i
> 
> **(1:14am)** it wasn’t because i dislike you darling  
>  **(1:15am)** quite the opposite
> 
> **(1:18am)** would u like to have a stupidly early dinner with me before tomorrow’s rehearsal?

**Author's Note:**

> in case you readers are curious about the Life of the Author: between the last time i put a fic up and now i've had to learn about website security, and now i have Feelings about html formatting, which was not a complication i had anticipated bringing from Real Life to Fandom Life.
> 
> since you're already here, check out [the other fics from this week](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sZ5dCCYKTwhFRq7p8vekqyBNXfoeks9SeJ3C6V8A2KY/edit?usp=sharing)!
> 
> please come yell with me about performance studies or inception things in general on tumblr [@hideyseek](https://hideyseek.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
